Drive-Thru Health Care Extends to Pharmacies

One month ago an email to my inbox from Pharmacist e-link highlighting how pharmacists can implement a "successful pharmacy immunization program". I don't remember why I signed up for access to this website, since I am not a pharmacist. I know that I had a reason for signing up, and it was a good reason, but I never perused whatever that reason was and I never took myself off their mailing list.

Something about a pharmacist administering vaccines didn't sit right with me, even if it was just a flu vaccine. I proceeded to check out the online course provided by Novartis, makers of the Fluad vaccine. Some people may be comfortable receiving a vaccine from a pharmacist, but I am not. Maybe I am over cautious because one of my children went into anaphylaxis after receiving a vaccine. Pharmacists may be trained to administer a vaccine but are they trained to deal with unexpected complications that can result? Pharmacists are not doctors and there are still states that paramedics can not administer epinephrine if someone is going into anaphylactic shock without calling the hospital to gain permission. I am sure that tighter regulations are in place for pharmacists.

Skip forward to today to an article that was run in USA Today about a five year old boy who was given the wrong drug for two months. Instead of the blood pressure medication that was prescribed he received a steroid used in male hormone replacement therapy that caused early onset puberty. In the word of pharmaceuticals, a mistake could cost someone their life.

Reasons sited by USA Today for these kind of mistakes include drug stores not employing enough pharmacists to handle the number of prescriptions needing filled, an emphasis on speed, reliance on technicians, and pharmacist incentive awards. Walgreens released that it takes their pharmacists two minutes to fill a prescription. This is a store that gives pharmacists bonuses based on the number of prescriptions they fill. The more drugs dispensed the more money the pharmacist receives. The idea is to keep the customers happy. They want things as quick as possible so that is what the pharmacies are trying to provide. Patients tend to complain when doctors don't spend the time to listen to them and later explain things. Patients want quality care when it comes to their health, but they tend to forget that care extends to the pharmacist.

Last summer one of my daughters' thyroid medications was filled at a different pharmacy and she was given the generic form instead of the name brand. Because of circumstances out of my control I was not aware that this happened. Those in charge of my daughters care at the time couldn't figure out why she kept vomiting. When the pill bottle was finally in my hands I called the pharmacy where it was filled and asked about inert ingredients. The pharmacist either didn't have the time to talk to me, or didn't want to take the time. He was very short and said "I don't have that information" before hanging up on me. He is a pharmacist, he has that information. In fact there is a nice sized book behind his counter that contains every ingredient, including the inert, in every drug. I have seen it. Our regular pharmacist has shown it to me and we have looked at it together more than once. It is important to the health of my children that I know what is in every drug they take and it is the job of the pharmacist to have that information. The pharmacist is supposed to be able to answer any question that I have about any drug. It turned out that my celiac daughter was exposed to gluten.

As I read this article in USA Today, my brain drifted back to the incident involving my daughters' medication and then to the information provided by Pharmacy e-link on pharmacists administering vaccines. In the name of connivance for the general public and to increase the number of people who are vaccinated against the flu, more responsibility is being placed on pharmacists. They are being expected to increase an already questionable workload. Score another point for the drive-thru health care system, that now includes mastectomies, people are fighting to put an end to.